California Horse Racing Board amends claiming rule

ARCADIA, Calif. — The California Horse Racing Board amended a rule pertaining to claimed horses on Thursday. Under the rule, a claim is void if a horse is placed on the veterinarian’s list by the racing vet or state vet after being found to be lame or unsound after the race or in the receiving barn.

The rule, which passed unanimously by a vote of 6-0, is not expected to take effect until July 1, pending approval by the state’s office of administrative law.

Dr. Rick Arthur, the racing board’s equine medical director, told the racing board that 96 Thoroughbreds were claimed and placed on the vet’s list for lameness or unsoundness in California during a three-year period beginning in 2009. Of those, 13 horses were euthanized as a result of racing injuries.

He said that claims would not be voided under the new rule if a horse is vanned off for heat exhaustion or if its bleeds from the lungs.

The rule change is an amendment to a 2011 rule change that voided a claim if a horse died during a race or before it was unsaddled after a race. That rule was deemed inadequate after two incidents when a horse suffered a severe injury on the track, but was transported off the track and euthanized in the stable area.

WHAT WE SAY

We don’t know what to say, except one step forward the two steps back.

5 thoughts on “California Horse Racing Board amends claiming rule”

Are you referring to the other article on the restaurant dimwit wanting to serve horse?

If so, the meat that he serves will be imported from a country who has “supposedly” inspected the meat (i.e. Canada, Mexico, SA, Australia, the EU etc.). In other words a country that “legally” slaughters horses and sells their meat for human consumption. The safety aspect and inspection process is all a joke of course as the current horse meat scandal has proven.

Contrary to common belief It is not illegal to consume horse meat in the US.

In other words the horses are raced with injuries covered up by pain killers until they have to be carried off of the track. You know something, this so called sport needs to be shut down just like dog racing. The cruelty never ends.

Or break down and die, whether it’s during training or the race itself. Of course with all the over breeding racehorses are a dime a dozen, and as you say, they hold them together with drugs — even the high bred ones — long enough to win some big prizes so they can make a boat load of money in the breeding shed. It is a sick cycle of abuse and death for the horses.

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